Panic attacks/agoraphobia etc...

[bubblerock]

I suffer from these and find it hard to keep appointments for various things as I usually chicken out at the last minute and cancel.
Anyway...
Last week I saw an advert for the outside clinic on the tv - they come to your house and do eyetests, the ad and their website shows lots of old ladies so I felt a bit silly ringing them but they were great, they said it would be 6 weeks but the letter arrived a couple of days later and the optometrist came today, he was very thorough and lovely!
I thought I'd let you know how good they were incase there is anyone else in the same situation. It didn't cost me anything apart from my new frames (including a £50 reduction due to tax credits)
I will soon be able to see again!

That's great Bubblerock.

Why do you think you have these panic attacks/agorophobia and do you want to talk about it?

Thanks Elastic, I'm ok, I need to go back to the gp actually as I was doing pretty well on cipralex but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment, I've been taking it for more than 2 years so maybe i'm just used to the drug.
I can do stuff on the spur of the moment but get stressed out about pre planned events, even picking up ds from school, luckily I have DH around and we are self employed to enable us to work around it.
I have 2 family weddings this year so I need to get it sorted (or get a shot beforehand)

Does ds go to really scary school, or is it the other mums you don't want to see?

Not really - there is no rhyme or reason for the way I feel, sometimes I feel like I could climb everest and other times I don't feel able to leave the house, it total controls me.
It's very frustrating especially as I used to be super confident, I can still come across that way which makes it difficult for people to understand (I don't understand it either).

Hi bubblerock. I have the same sort of thing but it mostly manifests itself as a fear of driving which is very annoying! Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was a great first step in trying to rid myself of the big black cloud that this phobia/stress was causing to me and my family. I'm not out of the woods but things are a whole lot better than they were this time last year as a result. I wonder whether you've tried it ... but suspect that if you have been on Cipralex then this will already have been suggested by your GP?

Bubblerock have you tried cogniative behavioural therapy? If not please ask to get reffered I was agrophobic and anxious with panic attacks this time last year and after a few months CBT I couldn't be more different..it's hard to keep me in now! Please , please give it a go mine came to my gp's surgery. I used to get a taxi there and back and it was ok if I got panicky in there because she understood. Please try it. It is possible to get over.

*referred

My Gp mentioned CBT when I first saw him over 2 years ago but said that the waiting list was very long - I think I'm on the list but I'll ring and check. It's great to hear positive stories, thanks!!

Bubblerock, there is a fantastic book on CBT recommended by Mind. It is like a work book that your write in, I could not believe it when I read the first bit about distorted thinking patterns, it was unbelivable. BTW it is NOT a crappy "pop" Psycology (sp), I hate all that crap. Tried reading "Feel the Fear and do it anyway", and it did nothing.

It is a factual book, which has exercises in it, about how to challenge thinking patterns. It did it for me. It's called "THe Feeling Good Handbook", Amazon stock it.

HTH x

Thanks Fizz - I will definately check that out!

Snowstorm, fear of driving sounds like v rational fear to me, specially in this weather.

It's an irrational pain in the butt Elasticwoman ... fear of flying would have been much more convenient!!